Interlacing-machine



. Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

o n r F. m e w NW .A mm. H WAD E w 0% 2 O. 0. MARTIN. INTERLACING MACHINE."

APPLICATION FILED AUG-10,!9l8.

, Z i 4. I 6 I 0. 0. MARTIN. .INTERLACING MACHINE. APELICATIQN FiLED AUG-1Q, 1918.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. INVENTOR. OLLverQMurtin TTORNEYSL Patented M21. 22, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER O. MARTIN,- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNOn T0 BERNARD HORWICH or i CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' INTERLACING-MACHINE.

Specification 6f Letters Patent. P t te Mar 2 Application filed hugus t lo, 1918. Serial No. 249,265.

To all w from it may concur '11,

Be it known that I, OLIVER .O. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Interlacing-Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention. relates to a machine for interlacing curled hair, such as is used for upholstering purposes and the like, having reciprocating needles downwardly pointing, and a horizontally "disposed distributing table in front of the saidneedles, on which table the interlacing material is placed for distribution. I a

There are machines of this character in use, but such machines can only be operated intermittently, as part of the time is given to distributing the material on the machine, while manual 1 feeding of the material through the machine, while running, occu pies the intervening periods.

With these conditions in view my object is the provision of a machine which can be kept running continuously, and: the operationof which is, simplified andexpedited, with a view of increasing the capacity of the machine, and also in order to produce a more uniform product. These and the further. objects and advantages of my invention are clearly set forth in the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views illustrating the more important features of the machine. i I

On a frame 1, are fixed guides 2, 3, in which a transverse bar 4t is slidably mounted,

and the latter is pivotally connected with a plurality bf straps 5, which in turn ride on a corresponding number of eccentrics 6 of a drive-shaft 7. The shaft 7 is, in a suitable manner, asby a belt 8 rotatably connected with a prime mover (not shown), and when rotated a reciprocating movement is communicated to the bar 4. a Y V In the bar 4: are fixed a series ofposts 9, adapted to receive a corresponding series of needles 10, which in turn are positioned in the spaces between equidistant disks 11 Of a shaft 12. Directly above and in perfect alinement are mounted ona shaft 13, a second series of disks 11. On two Crossbars 14, 15, of the framel is placed a sheet of glass or other suitable and transparent substance, which sheet serves as a distributmg table for the hair to be interlaced. At the 'rear of the frame 1 is hung a roller 4L9, carrying a roll of burlap or other suitable backlng, the end of which passes between rollers 46, 47, thence across the glass table 16, and into the machine. While thebac'ki ing 18 thus slowly travels into the machine, the hair 17 is constantly being distributed to a predetermined thickness and density. A sultable lamp 50, may be placed below the sheet of glass 16, and the light from said lamp shines through the hair, thereby facilitating an even distribution of the hair.

While the web of hair, on its backing,

passes through the machine, the aforemen tioned needles 10 are intermittently project ed through the web, thereby interlacing the material, as well known to the art. Having passed through the machine, the web H is wound upon a detachable spool 44?, through the medium of instrumentalities to be hereinafter described. When the spool is full, it

may be lifted Off the machine and another spool mounted in its place.

In front of the disks 11, 11, are mounted a pair of rollers 20, 21, for the purpose of urging the interlaced web through the machine. The upper rollers 21 and the upper disks 11 are hung on a pivoted frame 29, said frame having at the front perforated heads 29 in which a transverse rod 30, can rying eccentrics 31, is seated. At one or both ends of said rod are fixed handles 32 by means of which the eccentrics are turned for the purpose of adjusting the upper roller 21 and the disks 11 relative to the lower Ones.

Suitable clamping means, such as set screws 33 serve to retain the eccentrics in adjusted position. The lower roller 20 and theidisks 11, are connected for simultaneous operation by gears 23, 24, 25, and the upper roller and disks are similarly interconnected through the medium of a train of gears 26, 27, 28. On the shafts 12 and 22 are rigidly fixed ratchet wheels 39, 40 for engagement with a series of springheld pawls 87, 38, which latter in turn are pivotally fixed on a vertically disposed bar 34. The latter is hung on an arm 4 of the crossbar 4:, and is gertically reciprocated with the said cross- While ascending, the pawls 37, 38, pass fixed a lever 42, carrying at one end a springheld pawl 43, alined for engagement with a ratchet wheel of the spool 44. The opposite end of the lever 42 terminates in a resilient arm 42, which in turn rests upon a pin 4* of the crossbar arm 4. It is readily seen that the reeiprocations of the bar 4 communicate intermittent movement to the spool 44' for the purpose of winding the I web on the spool, and the extremity 42 is made resilient so as to yield when the slack in the web has been taken up.

The rear roller 46' is connected for simultaneous movement with the disks and the front rollers through the medium of a chain 48, or its equivalent, and the rollers 46, at,

may also be intergeared for simultaneous operation.

In front of the glass table 16 is hung a roller 52which is employed in the following manner: Frequently hair,'fibrous of other suitablematerial is interlaced without any backingwhatever. In such cases an endless belt 53 is hung over the rollers 46 and 52 or, if preferred, the said belt may remain permanently on the machine in which case, however, the advantage of thebottom light 50 is partly lost unless particular care is taken to keep the belt 53 clean.

The roller 52 is suitably connected for positive rotation by the shaft 12, as best shown in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the principal object of this invention is the provision of means for automatically feeding the web through the machine and this, as has been noted, is accomplished by positioning the needles below the web,

whereby it is made possible to utilize the fabric backing itself as'a medium for auto,

matically feeding the material through the machine, whereas in machines of this kind heretofore utilized, and having the needles above and downwardly pointing it is re quired' to stop the machinewhile distributing the hair on the table, and then to manually, push. the material under the backing and into the machine. t

I wish it understood that I may modify the means of feeding the backing, carrying the hair into the machine, without thereby departing from the principle of my invention hereinbefore outlined.

I claim:

1. In an interlacing machine, a horizontal feed table, means for drawing interlacing material from said table and through the machine, needles mounted below the level of the table, a pivoted frame above the table level and carrying a plurality of feed rollers, an eccentric member engaging said frame for adjusting the frame, means for locking said frame and member in adjusted position, and means for simultaneously iniparting intermittent movement to said drawing means, the needles and the said feed rollers.

2. In an interlacing machine, a slide carrying a row of upwardly pointing needles, a series of feed rollers above said slide, means for reciprocating said needles, a member vertically extending from said slide, said member carrying a plurality of pawls, and toothed members on said rollers and engaged by said pawls to impart intermittent rotation to raid rollers.

3. In an interlacing machine, a stationary distributing table, a series of feed rollers at one end of the table and therewith alined, reciprocatory needles supported below and directed upwardly between the said feed rollers, an endless belt around the said table, and mechanism for imparting intermittent movement to the said needles, rollers and belt.

a. In an interlacing machine, the combination with a feed table, and a row of needles positioned below the level of said table and upwardly pointing, of means for recipreceiving reel in front of said needles, and.

means actuated by said reciprocating means for imparting intermittent rotation to said receiving reel, whereby the said backing is intermittently drawn past the said needles.

5. In a machine for interlacing a top layer of loose material with an underlying fabric backing, a series of needles positioned below the said interlacing material, means for reciprocating the said needles through the said material, and means actuated by the reciprocations of the needles for imparting intermittent forward movement to the said material.

6. In a machine for interlacing loose material with an underlying fabric backing, a distributing table, a series of feed rollers arranged in front of the said table, a reel behind the table, a plurality of needles positioned below the level of the material, and means for simultaneously imparting reciprocations to the said needles and intermittent rotations to the said rollers for the purpose of feeding the fabric from the reel along the table and past the said needles.

7. In a machine for interlacing loose material with a fabric backing, a stationary distributing table, a fabric carrying reel at one end of the said table, a plurality of reciprocatory needles at the opposite end of the table, and mechanism for intermittently drawing the backing, on which the loose ma terial is being distributed, from the said reel across the said table and past the said needles. I

8. In a machine for'interlacin loose ma terial with a fabric backing, a distributing table, a fabric carrying reel at one end of the table, a feed mechanism at the opposite end, needles upwardly directed, a reel for receiving the interlaced material, devices for intermittently operating the said feed mechanism to draw the fabric from the said reel across the table and past the said needles, cooperating devices for reciprocating the needles through the interlacing material and for yieldingly imparting rotatlng movement to the said receiving reel.

9. In an interlacing machine, the combination with a horizontal feed table, of a slide positioned below the level of said table and carrying a row of upwardly pointing needles, a series of feed rollers above the first and vertically adjustable, means for locking the said rollers in adjusted position, means for reciprocating said slide and needles, a bar vertically extending from said slide, and members pivotally mounted on said bar for imparting intermittent rotation to all of the rollers.

I11 witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

OLIVER O. MARTIN.

slide, a second set of feed rollers above the 

